Overview
A young criminal faces a life-altering decision as family ties and dark pasts collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- intense
- brooding
- melancholic
- immersive weekend viewing
- malayalam cinema night
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly praise the film as an intense, visually accomplished, and emotionally layered Malayalam crime drama with a powerful central performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sulaiman’s mother, his parents, and Sulaiman himself recount differing explanations for the criminal history and the fate awaiting him.
The plot explicitly links Sulaiman’s smuggling empire and strongman status to politics, corruption, and communalism.
The retrospective structure recounts Sulaiman’s progression from a wayward criminal toward a leader seeking betterment for his people.
The film is noted for superbly shot sequences, strong pacing, and an immersive presentation of the gang’s world.
Films like Malik, and why
Gangs of Wasseypur
political crime drama centered on a powerful local gangster and communal tensions
The Godfather
multi-generational gangster saga combining crime, family loyalty, political corruption, and tragedy
Nayakan
Indian political gangster drama with shifting loyalties, social conflict, and an intense ensemble
Rashomon
nonlinear crime narrative using conflicting accounts to examine violence, power, and memory
Movie Details
- Director
- Mahesh Narayanan
- Release Date
- 2021-07-15
- Runtime
- 161 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (57)
Cast
- Fahadh Faasil
- Nimisha Sajayan
- Vinay Forrt
- Jalaja
- Salim Kumar
- Joju George
- Dileesh Pothan
- Sanal Aman
- Parvathy Krishna
- Dinesh Prabhakar
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Malik about?
- A visually forceful Malayalam crime saga reconstructs a feared smuggler’s legacy through fractured family memories, communal politics, and impending betrayal.
- What is Malik like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Malik as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Malik violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Malik as brutal.
- What did critics think of Malik?
- Critics and audiences broadly praise the film as an intense, visually accomplished, and emotionally layered Malayalam crime drama with a powerful central performance.
- Which films are like Malik?
- Films with a similar feel include Gangs of Wasseypur, The Godfather, Nayakan, and Rashomon.
- How long is Malik?
- Malik runs 161 minutes.
- Where can I watch Malik?
- In United States, Malik streams on Amazon Prime Video.
